Name a key feature of Maslow's hierarchy of needs.

Maslow's hierarchy of needs is built upon the idea that human motivation is arranged in a hierarchical structure, where individuals are driven to fulfill certain needs in a specific order. The key feature of this hierarchy is that individuals must satisfy lower-level needs—such as physiological requirements (food, water, shelter) and safety (security, health)—before they can move on to higher-level needs, which include social belonging, esteem, and ultimately self-actualization. This stepwise progression illustrates that basic needs must be met for individuals to feel secure enough to pursue more complex psychological and self-fulfillment needs. This arrangement emphasizes a foundational aspect of human motivation, suggesting that unmet basic needs can hinder overall personal development and fulfillment.